Art
In early 1900s Paragould, Arkansas, these four schools served children of different backgrounds—public schools for white and Black students, and a Catholic school. Where a child studied shaped their entire future, marking class, religion, and race in a deeply divided society.
Art · Full story
You walk past the brick and wood buildings on Paragould's streets. Some children climb these steps to the high school, dreaming of leaving town. Others attend the segregated East or West Side school. Parents hope education might lift their family higher, but the separate schoolhouses themselves teach a hard lesson about America's promise—and its limits.
Reflect
What choices did your own parents or grandparents have about where you could go to school?